1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a game in which the players move a playing piece through a predetermined sequence of actions. In particular, the invention relates to a game having a playing piece bearing sensibly recognizable members of a known patterned sequence, the playing piece being moved through a programmed sequence of action while the players recite, vocally or silently, the recognized pattern sequence.
2. Prior Art
The history of games is probably older than the recorded history of man. The "mancala" or pit-and-pebble games are said to have been known and played for over 3500 years and probably originated in Egypt or Arabia. The pit-and-pebble games prescribed a sequence of actions on the part of the players whereby pebbles were sown among two facing ranks of six shallow pits and an opponents pebbles were captured when a prescribed number of pebbles remained in given pits after each sowing.
With games such as chess and checkers, the movements of the playing pieces are prescribed but the manner in which each movement is initiated is determined by the skill and experience of the player moving a given piece.
Board games, such as Parker Brothers' MONOPOLY, have the sequence of actions determined by the chance throw of dice and the independent buy-or-sell determination of the player. Despite the long ancient history of games, a search of the prior art could uncover no game which required its players to recognize a known sequential pattern, which pattern may be vocalized, and to move a playing piece through a pre-established sequence of moves while the recognized sequential pattern was recited by the players either aloud or silently.
It is therefore an objective of the invention to provide a game which does not depend upon the individual initiative action of any one or more players.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide a game in which the movements are not dictated by chance.
It is another objective of the invention to provide a game wherein the players move, essentially in unison, through a prescribed series of movements of playing pieces and wherein players are penalized for failure to perform the prescribed sequence of movements.
It is a specific objective of the invention to provide a game in which the players only preparation lies in their ability to recognize and vocalize a sequential pattern, said vocalization taking place either aloud or silently while a playing piece is moved by each participant through a prescribed sequence of movements.